Has anyone just come back from Banff yesterday and can reveal if this is a storm in a teacup that's now blown over, or whether things are getting worse and Sunshine Village is soon to have it's name changed to Cloudy Ghost-town?
Are all the bowls still closed? (Delerium drive, etc.)
Is Goat's Eye still closed due to lack of staff?
How's the new 'centralised' bus service going down?
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
crosbie, there's a thread on TGR which will tell you everything you need to know
scotia, but it's miles long and appears primarily focussed on the issues (all very important), not on the actual repercussions for skiers.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Should have kept up from the start then
Delirium Dive is still closed as are the chutes on Goats Eye.
It looks like all lifts are open.
Not sure on the bus service, sorry.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Well crosbie, put it this way, Wild West was open 10 days last year, and Silver City only for 1 because of saftey or weather. Some of the guys who were canned first as part of this whole rotten deal were instrumental in opening the back-country terrain at Sunshine, with their departure i can't see it being opened any more often... or if it is i'd approach with caution.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Richard_Sideways, I suppose another way of putting it is "The back country is now effectively open because no staffer will now dare challenge anyone found ignoring the closure signs, especially if they exude an entitlement mentality".
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
From the sound of what they've resorted to, hiring local firemen to dress as patrollers, they wouldn't be able to catch you if you made a run for it... especially you crosbie.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Richard_Sideways, I run through deep powder like I run through quick drying cement - very slowly, if at all. Anyway, I don't think I'd be in a hurry to re-enact this: http://youtube.com/v/B_4xNC27JCY
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Hurtle, oops
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
crosbie,
I came back yesterday. The slopes were quite empty. I think a lot of the locals have been choosing LL instead.
Delirium Dive is not open, I think the rest of the mountain (or at least what I wanted to ski) was open. With the exception of a few of the trails over on Goats Eye as someone else mentioned.
The bus situation is a massive drag... it's put me off going again, or at least made me consider hiring a car or staying at the Mount Royal hotel
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
v1cky24, thanks very much.
I suppose the locals are staying away in a tadette of protest perhaps? Or perhaps the snow/temperature biased skiers to LL?
As Richard_Sideways notes it seems the back-country is rarely open anyway, so that's not to be taken as necessarily significant. But, some of the normally open pistes on Goats Eye being closed might be a disappointingly notable consequence.
Which hotel were you at? Not Inns of Banff?
I presume it's just a matter of being close to the town centre (walking in soft boots is no doubt preferable to ski boots).
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
crosbie, no problem.
We stayed at the Red Carpet Inn, I know it's not all that far but when you are carrying skis and boots (no way would I walk in my boots to the bus stop, it's bad enough wearing them to ski haha) it's a big pain in the butt. I have ripped some biceps like popeye I think
I think the few locals I spoke to said that they were boycotting the place, at least the weekending immediately following the shenanigans. It was heaving at LL on the Saturday!
I'm a little gutted because there was a big snow storm on Friday - so if you are heading out soon the conditions will be very good!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
the temperature forecast for Banff today was -35C and it might get colder this week. That will keep numbers on the hill down !!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
v1cky24, Snap! I'll be staying at the Red Carpet too. Any tips? Any things to ensure are mentioned on check-in, e.g. "not room N"? Is it true you get a free breakfast?
So, you're close enough that you weren't tempted to get the town bus for one stop further in.
I'll be going out on Wednesday 9th, so will probably miss the powder.
But, when you get powder it usually means you don't get any sun, so at least we have fresh snow and sun (to hope for).
Yup, malcolm1, I noticed the temps were a bit on the frosty side - I thought it might mean LL could be slightly more enticing as a consequence.
I understand they close the lifts when it gets below -32C on the piste. It'll probably have warmed up by the time I get to Sunshine Village (though mornings may still be icy), but I always take my thermals, sock & glove liners just in case.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
crosbie, when they close the lifts all depends on the wind. There's a big difference between -30 with sunshine and -30 with 30mph winds. Also, Lake Louise isn't necessarily always warmer and temperature inversions are fairly common.
scotia, yup windchill is a factor, but even if it's windless you can still ski at 30mph. I appreciate there's no hard & fast rule, thanks for the clarification that it's not simply -32C.
Point taken re LL, I just hazarded a guess that it could have been a temperature/sun or snow conditions difference between SV & LL that might have been a factor on that particular weekend. I wouldn't want to suggest that LL was always warmer, though LL's ski lodge is very nice and the mountain seems a little more bearable given similarly harsh conditions at SV, e.g. tree cover, lifts, coffee stops, sunward slopes, etc.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Just mark the weather as 'parky' and make sure you cover all your skin, frost nip times at that temp are about 5 mins... as i know.
We stayed in room 123. It is probably one of the closest rooms to the door so we were lucky in that respect, we took our skis in there each day so we didn't have to carry them too far, the hotel does have ski lockers though I think. The room was fairly small though which was the bad side. Though I am not that fussy when it comes to the accommodation TBH, it's just a place to sleep to me so as long as it's clean (which it was) I don't care.
Are you going with Inghams or a tour operator? I think the free breakfast was only for guests who have paid for their room direct with the hotel (or at least not through a 3rd party). We didn't get free breakfast but we booked with Inghams. They did give us an option to purchase the breakfast for $2 each per day per person, which you had to pay upfront for the full duration. I think there was an offer on the El Toro restaurant next door too but I can't remember exactly what it was.
So that would have been $40 for the 2 of us for 10 days worth of breakfasts which is probably good value for money, it is continental stuff I think, cereals and bread etc. We didn't do it because I love pancakes/hash browns and all of the other lovely stuff you can get for breakfast in North America.
I'd say it took 15-20 mins to walk to the bus stop behind the mount royal hotel, or at least that is what we would leave in order to catch the bus. This is with skis & boots to carry etc. There was a ROAM bus you could take, though someone told me you wouldn't be able to take the skis on it (I'm not sure this was accurate though). It was $2 a trip. We hired a locker at LL for the first 3 days so we didn't have to put everything on the bus, this was $25 plus $10 deposit for the key. I'd probably do this again if we go back. When at Sunshine Village we would hit Bruno's next to the Mount Royal for Apres ski on the way back - they do $2.75 Kokanees until 7pm.
While we were there the coldest day was about -9 degrees C I think. This was at LL. I think we were probably lucky with that though. A few days it was even above freezing at the base. The day we came home it was rather bitter. It was windy and according to the weather forecast it was -16 to -18 in the day time.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Wow, thanks v1cky24, that's great info to have afore ye go.
I'm one of 3 single guys, so we're hoping the Red Carpet might have such things as camp beds (or even actual triple rooms), but knowing Banff I guess two of us are going to be tempted to share one of the twin's double beds rather than the carpet. Of course all the UK TOs call them quad rooms. One just has to pretend each bed is an Austrian twin.
Inghams is our TO, so we'll probably go for the $2 quickie first thing in the morning and wait for lunch to get the carbs in.
Thanks for the tip re Kokanees. Well worth knowing!
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Poster: A snowHead
